


You Shouldn't Judge...

by Ghostinthehouse



Series: Demon and Angel Professors [153]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Professors, Disabled Crowley (Good Omens), M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:08:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28857873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghostinthehouse/pseuds/Ghostinthehouse
Summary: "You can't judge people by how they look," Dr Fell nattered at his first-years, "anymore than you should judge a book by its cover."
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Warlock Dowling/Adam Young
Series: Demon and Angel Professors [153]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1412962
Comments: 33
Kudos: 590
Collections: Aspec-friendly Good Omens





	You Shouldn't Judge...

"Do you think that all plants are the same because they have green leaves?" Dr Crowley snarled at his first-years. "Yes? You're in the wrong subject then. Go take Literature or something, so you can judge books by their covers. The door is there." He scowled at them all until they began shaking their heads, then went on, "No? Well then, don't do it to people either." (His rant to Aziraphale had been much longer, with more swearing and far more flailing hands involved. Aziraphale had listened, and nodded, and smirked, and topped up his wine until Crowley finally ran out of rant-fumes and they could plan a more measured response.)

***

"You can't judge people by how they look," Dr Fell nattered at his first-years, "anymore than you should judge a book by its cover. I know people do, but they're so often mistaken." He smiled, looking particularly innocent (always a sign he was up to mischief). "There are only so many colours in the rainbow, you can hardly expect everyone in the world to wear a different shade, and couples aren't twins, of course, so you can hardly expect them to _match_. Why, if you went by the colours we wear you'd think Dr Crowley and I were hereditary enemies, since I wear cream and he wears black!"

The students nodded along. They couldn't imagine sweet, soft, Dr Fell being anyone's enemy, but the visual contrast was obvious.

"As for dear Anthony, he would never be seen dead in my clothes." Seen alive, of course, was a different matter. Aziraphale had occasionally caught Crowley 'borrowing' one of his thick sweaters. For warmth, he claimed. "His tastes and colouring is so different, and he does look good in dark colours, unlike me. He likes to tease me about wearing tartan, but I've always maintained that tartan is stylish..."

***

Even friendly Dr Young perched himself on the edge of his desk, and told his first-years, "Let me tell you about someone I know." He waited for them to be sitting comfortably and began, "There was this crowd - sex workers, cheats, petty thieves, riff-raff, that sort - and this kid hung around for a while. Kid had a rough start in life, his parents had been refugees, never a lot of money. He worked as a handyman for a while - doors, windows, repairing the woodwork, that sort of thing - but then his dad needed him and he had to stop. Bit of an activist, used to talk about such radical things as paying your taxes, making sure everyone had enough to eat, and medical care if they needed it, and so on. Stood up for people, wouldn't let them be dismissed as bad just because of the work they did, and finally wound up on the wrong side of some folk with influence. They pulled strings, had him arrested and roughed up a bit while they figured out charges that they could make stick, then they threw the book at him. Kid wound up dead not long after. Bright young man, kind to everyone. Didn't deserve the ending he got." He lifted his head, crimson nails reflecting a red gleam into his eyes. "Now, do you think that kid was a good person, or a bad person? Could you tell by looking at him, this poor, scruffy, immigrant kid who hangs out with a bad crowd? He's in a book now, people do studies on him."

He waited, let them talk it over, and come up with a variety of responses, mostly wary, then reached over and picked up a bible. "This is the book he's in," he said cheerfully, yet pointedly. "Name of Jesus, you may have heard of him. Judging people by how they dress and interact with rarely goes well, you see..."

***

The students gathered and it soon became clear that all their professors were making the same point. Don't judge people - or their relationships - by what they wore. But where was the fun in that?


End file.
